Wander Around Roma

So after a quick look around the arty hotel with its amazing modern art works and "it's  oversized primary coloured plastic snails and varying other animals" all proberly would look more at home in a kiddies day centre ... but it's ART... And looking at the ticketed price of this art its a day care centre for Prince Williams kids!!!!

Anyway its out to the streets to soak up some atmosphere and a Roman Ruin or twenty... So first the Spanish Steps and as advertised by the arty hotel they "are" real close. It's  5.30 and the Spanish Steps is heaving with tourist as one would expect so we head down some of the side streets and take in the Trevi Fountain. Now let's do a side step and into the Pantheon.

Wow what a interesting building, I just loved it last time so I wanted to experience it again. We came upon it from behind and with massive curved walls all from bricks some looking very haphazardly put together it's hard to imagine it can stay standing. It's not till you get towards the front and see the rectangular configuration of marble columns that beckon you to come in to this beautiful building.
The floor and the couple of steps in the entrance is off massive flag stones worn away to be smooth at the front doors with the trillions on feet over the centuries from the time of the Romans in there day to the tourist of today.

When you enter with the 1000's of other tourist that were there it made no difference because what you want to see is up !!! so no one can get in your way.
The dome is huge and with a huge hole in the top so the natural light poured in illumination the structure and the details in the dome.

Back to the hotel just in time for a complementary bottle of champagne as a thank you for booking the two nights.... Cool all freebies accepted after being away so long. We take this in the central court yard just bigger enough to seat 10 and as the rest of the guests haven't come home yet so we have the arty space to ourselves.

All the tables are low white moulded cubes that are internally illuminated. These plus the huge 2m diameter twisted wire ball sitting on-top of a 3m tall round metal pole like a arty mop-top metal tree interwoven with fairy lights and are all that lights up the moody space.
The chairs are funky in design also, moulded plastic in a selection of primary colours and the whole space just worked.
The smooth white walls of the hotel on all 4 sides reaching 5 stories around us so not a sound from the busy Rome could be heard.

The only way into the space is via a internally lit green glass stairs case, a bit spooky before the bottle of bubbles and a total spinout after it.